There must be something odd going on in the quiet little town of Weilheim, Germany. Home to the collective of labels known as Hausmusik, Payola and Kollaps, the number of groups from this area south of Munich has multiplied spectacularly in the past decade. To name only a few: The Notwist, Tied and Tickled Trio, Village of Savoonga, Fred is Dead, Couch, Console, and A Million Mercies. Some of these bands are better known than others, but each functions within the often incestuous Weilheim framework. Now we can add Thomas Weber's Kammerflimmer Kollektief (Shimmering Collective) to that list.
Begun in the late 90s as an electro-acoustic one-man project incorporating electronic sound constructions into both the rock and jazz idioms, Weber initially released two limited-run 12" singles for the Weilheim-based Payola label in 1998 (both of which were collected on their debut full-length, Mäander, last year). Approximating the free jazz of the late 60's (John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, and Peter Brötzmann as reference points) and blending it with traditional rock structures, Kammerflimmer astounded, and marked new territory for the German scene. Tracks like "Implodiert" and "Nachtwach" were rhythmically explosive; anchored by Weber's bass and working around a slow-building hiss of electronics, they would eventually careen into a climax of ear-splitting dissonance and static. With those releases and subsequent works-- an incredible remix of Tied and Tickled Trio's "Constant" and the strictly jazz Incommunicado, which is just seeing U.S. release this month through Temporary Residence-- Weber carved his own niche within the minds of a select few record aficionados around the globe.
With this, the Kollektief's third release in a year, the sense of surging immediacy so prevalent on the initial releases has been abandoned in favor of subtlety and suggestive soundscapes. Weber expanded the collective to a six-piece with the jazz workout of Incommunicado, and that lineup sticks around for Hysteria as well. Clocking in at barely over thirty minutes, the newest release plays more like an EP. Reserving three of the six tracks for his solo sonic experiments, Weber plays along with the other members on three group songs. After just one listen, it becomes quickly apparent that Weber functions much better on his own than within the group context.
Kammerflimmer begins the album in a haze with the title track. Built around his electronic treatments and the plucked strings of an upright bass, the lead track buzzes with Weber's signature sound-- a high-pitched burst of static noise that weaves in and out of the background. Weber's ability to take inorganic sound treatments and effortlessly blend them with traditional instrumentation has been one of the most captivating elements of the music he produces. At times reminiscent of Scenic's Acquatica, the standout track ("Engel Wacht") is Weber working solo again. Pulling together the sound of wind chimes, distant percussion, and (surprise!) sudden but effective bursts of static, Weber constructs a beautiful track built around mournful guitar playing.
"Seen (Not Seen)" follows the title track and, with it comes the full band's first attempt at exhibiting their skills (or lack thereof). With very few of Weber's treatments, the track is contingent upon the unit's ability to coalesce into a whole. Comprised of alto and baritone saxes, guitar, bass, analog synth and percussion along with Weber's sound collages, Hysteria's musical landscape should be comparable to what Weber was doing all by his lonesome three years ago. Regrettably, on their new release, Weber's acoustic jazz ensemble rarely achieves anything more than aimless meandering.
The near exception is "Mohn!" (loose translation: "poppy"), the album's closing track, and the one in which the group finally proves they might actually be able to bring it all together into something more than just the sum of their individual parts. Evocative of urban nightscapes, the track is similar to "Engel Wacht" but doesn't work nearly as well. Bassist Johannes Frisch lays the groundwork for the other musicians, but no other player ever steps forward to lead, including Weber. Clocking in at nearly six minutes, the track finally gets exciting with about 20 seconds left when Weber's electronically manipulated guitar enters the picture. And then, as abruptly as the excitement began, it ends. On Hysteria, it feels like Kammerflimmer Kollektief never really get off the ground. There's a stark contrast between the tracks on which Weber plays exclusively and those on which the group plays. The decision to divide the tracks equally between the two only exaggerates the differences. Much of Weber's solo tracks are satisfying, but the group's work feels like sonic doodling, never really quite hitting the mark.
The finest moments, bleak and desolate, stand at odds with Weber's prior recorded output. Much of the stuff on Mäander brimmed with energy and playfulness (sheets of static fuzz thrown in with rhythmic, percussive explosions and fractured saxophone squawks), something desperately needed on Hysteria. Tied and Tickled Trio keyboardist Andreas Gerth once said, "It's true that all the music coming from [Weilheim] seems touched by a certain melancholia." Up until now I could've disagreed based solely on Kammerflimmer Kollektief's catalog, but now even Thomas Weber exhibits a tinge of that autumnal feel. Unfortunately, the melancholy that's worked so well for others in the Weilheim musical landscape renders the Shimmering Collective motionless and uninspired.
